Apparatus for handling and annealing metal bars or the like



Jan. 12, 1937. 2,067,524 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND ANNEALINC- METAL BARS OR THE LIKE J. T. FLAHERTY Filed Jul 's,

3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. I $13 iii/W. 6 M r ATTORNEYJ'.

Jan. 12; 1937. J. T. FLAHERTY APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND ANNEALING METAL BARS OR THE LIKE Filed July 5, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 R M Y m W 4 M N r R E 0 v w W J M A f Y B 3% 9 m H 0 J m D a l I i i| N Nuw QNI Jan 12, 1937. 2,067,524

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND ANNEALING METAL BARS OR THE LIKE Filed July 3, 1935 3 SheetsSheet 5 INVENTOR.

fiat T I ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR nsunnnvo AND ANNE.-

ING METAL BARSOR THE LIKE John T. Flaherty, Pittsburgh, Pa.-,' assignor to v United Engineering & Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 3, 1935, Serlal No. 29,701

' dling metal bars or the like and is more particularly concerned with apparatus for the pack anhealing or controlled cooling of merchant bar.

- Inthe manufacture of metal bar such as mercha bar-"itls often desirable to pack anneal the to flat side so that the heat of themetal is retained in the pack whereby an annealing action is obtained. The merchant bar is received from the hot-rolling mill in any particular shape and length and is transported to a pack-annealing bed, where the slow cooling operation is per? formed.

Prior to my invention apparatus has been provided for handling the relatively heavy, long and hot merchant bar and for stacking the bar into annealing packs. Former apparatus have, however, been quite complicated in nature, demanding. very considerable initial and maintenance expenditures as well as requiring skilled operators.

It is the object of the present invention to avoid and overcome the diificulties attending the use of known apparatus for handling and annealing metal such as merchant bar by the provision of a relatively inexpensive and yet a simple, rugged and durable mechanism which is adapted to rapidly handle hot metal bar of various sizes with the apparatus being adaptable to pack anneal or to individually cool the bars as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide pack-annealing mechanism wherein the anneal ing operation is continuous with bars being constantly added to one end'and removed from the other end of the pack.

Another object of the invention is to provide pack-annealing apparatus wherein the bars handled are not scratched in adding them to or removing them from the pack.

f Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for handling hot metal bars such as merchant bar wherein by a simple, rapid adjustment the apparatus can be adapted to pack anneal the bars continuously or. to lay the bars out individually on a cooling bed withoutannealing.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by providingapparatus which includes a hot run-out table, a pack annealing bed, a cooling bed and a cold run-out table with means positioned between the hot run-out table and the pack-annealing bed for transferring the bars in turn from the table and stacking them "on edge in fiat-side by fiat-side relation on the bed. The transferring means comprises a p1urality of rotating cams having recess s ior reby stacking a plurality of the bars flat side ceiving the bars in turn and for carrying them to the annealing bed. The cams engage with the stacked bars and not only prevent the bars from falling over on the annealing bed but likewise operate to push the end bar of the stack 5 oil. the annealing bed onto the cooling bed as each go}; bar is added to the stack from the run-out The apparatus is, moreover, adapted to individually handle and cool bars without pack an- 10 nealing, and this is accomplished. by merely changing the angular position of the annealing bed so that it becomes apart of the cooling bed and receives the bars in spaced cooling relation from the hot run-out table.

In'the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of one embodiment'of my invention; Fig. 2 is a. longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view taken 20 on line III-III of Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrates the pack-annealing bed of the apparatus tipped to the position where the apparatus operates to individually cool the bars; Fig.5 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and l but illustrates a modification of the invention wherein means are provided for handling of the bars without chance for surface scratching; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the cam transfer means incorporated in the invention.

Y While the apparatus is adapted to handle various strip and. bar materials it is particularl; designed for the handling and/or pack annealing of metal merchant bar of various shapes and sizes. Merchant bar is ordinarily rectangular in cross section and accordingly the apparatus is illustrated and described as handling rectangular The rectangular bar is, for example, from 2 to 12 inches wide to from ,up to 2 inches tlqiic x. Its length varies considerably, as, for example, from feet to 300 feet more or less. It should also be understood however that bar of other shapes such 'as rounds, squares, angles, etc. can be handled. In view of the widely varying shapes and dimensions of merchant bar, the present apparatus can be made in any particular size but is preferably constructed to handle the largest sizes and when this is done the mechanism also operates with smaller-sized bars.

Since the merchant-bar handling apparatus is often so long, and because the apparatus of the present invention for handling this bar is duplicated at axially spaced areas across the length of the various run-out tables and the annealing and cooling beds, the plan view of the drawings ill has been broken away after illustrating several of the similar means for effecting handling and annealing of the bar. 7

As best seen in Figs. 1 to 3, the invention includes a hot run-out table, indicated generally by the numeral III, a pack-annealing bed, shown generally at 12, a cooling bed, indicated gener- 'ally at l4, and acold run-out table, indicated generally by the numeral l6. An important feature of the invention is the transfer means, shown generally at l8, for carrying the merchant bar from the hot run-out conveyor ID to the pack-annealing bed I2.

The hot run-out table i8 is adapted to receive the hot merchant bar from the rolling mill and,

operates to convey merchant bar B to the transfer means I8 for placing the bar on the annealing bed. The hot run-out table It) may take a plurality of forms but preferably comprises a base 28 having rollers 2| journaled thereon and driven by suitable means, such as individual motors 22. Associated with the side of the hot run-out table ID are laterally extending inclined skids 23 which function to receive the merchant bar B from the hot run-out table.

Suitable means are provided for laterally moving the bar B from the hot run-out table I 8 onto the skids 23, and this means may include a crank shaft 25 journaled in the base 28 and having crank portions 26 carried in bearings 21 formed on pusher arms 28. The lower end of each pusher arm 28 is pivotally connected, as at 29, to a link 30 pivotally secured to a bracket 3| fixed to the base 28. The crank shaft 25 is driven in any preferred manner as, for example, by a motor 32 through a gear box 33.. Thus when motor 32 is driven to turn crank shaft 25,

each pusher arm 28 moves from its retarded full-line position, seen in Fig. 2, up to and past the dotted-line position, likewise shown in this figure, to push the, merchant bar B onto the inclined skids 23.

Positioned adjacent the lower end of the skids 23 are the transfer means, shown generally at I8, which includes a plurality of cams 35 preferthe cam gradually builds up on a steadily increasing radius so that the distance from the point 40 to the axis of the cam is'g'reater than the distance from the point 39 to the axis of the cam by substantially the thickness of the thickest bar to be handled by the apparatus; From the point 40 to the point 4| on the 'cam, the surface of the cam is formed on a constant radius terminating in the shoulder 42. As stated, the cams may be formed with any number of recesses. In the embodiment'of the invention illustrated, however, two recesses 38 are provided on each'camwiththe points 39, 40, 4| and the shoulder 42 being duplicated on the other half of the cam surface as illustrated in Fig. 6.

Preferably, the cams 35 are employed in groups at spaced intervals along the shaft 36 as bestseen in Fig. l. The distance between each group of cams on the shaft. 36 is somewhat less than the shortest bar to be handled, so that, in transferirngthe bar by the cams, more than one group carries the bar regardless of its length, T e' recesses 38 on each cam and upon the several I groups are, of course,.aligned axially to this end.

While, as indicated, each group consists of three cams having narrow faces it should be under stood that a-single'cam having a face .of any desired width may be used.

The shaft 36, carrying the earns 35, is journaled in suitable bearings 45 which, together with the remaining apparatus, are positioned to bring the recesses 38 of the cams 35 just below the surface of the inclined skids 23, as illustrated in Fig. 2, so that in the operation of the transfer mechanism the bars B pushed oif of the hot runout table slide down the inclined skids 23 and against the. shoulders 42 at one side of the recesses 38 formed in the cam. The shoulders 42 thus act as positive stops which together with the momentum of the hot bars serve to straighten them to remove curves or kinks formed in rolling. The skids 23 are set at such an angle and made of the requisite length whereby the desired straightening action is obtained. It will be evident that the merchant bar B is moved onto the cams 35 in substantially a tangential manner and at substantially the highest point of the cam.

Associated with the other side of the transfer cams 35 is the pack-annealing bed heretofore discussed and shown generally by the numeral annealing bed l2 are preferably pivotally mounted upon a shaft 54 and have a lever 55 pivotally secured as at 56 to the end of the platform with the other end of the lever 55 being provided with a bearing 51 surroundingan eccentric 58 carried by a shaft 59' whereby the angular position of the annealing beds can be controlled.

Ordinarily, as shown in Fig. 2, the annealing beds i2 are inclined oppositely to the inclined skids 23 and thus provide asurface extending substantially radially to the transfer cams 35. Thus. in the operation of the apparatus, the merchant bars B received by the recesses 38 of the cams from the inclined skids 23 are, upon rotation of the cams, carried down to the annealing bed through a relatively short are and are de-' posited on edge on the bed in pack-annealing relation, that is fiat side to flat side, as shown in Fig. 2.

It should be understood that in operation the transfer cams 35 engage with the bars B already on: the pack-annealing bed l2 and that the cams prevent the bars from falling over. Likewise, the cams function to move the entire pack of bars upwardly upon the inclined annealing bed as the cams gradually build up to the shoulders 42. Thus the rotation of the cam witha new bar nestled in -the recess 38 causes the new bar to be added to the bottom or-lower end of the pack, with the projection 52' of each platform ofthe annealing bed picking the bar off the cams.

The movement of the cams 35 and the addition ofv bars B to the pack on the annealing bed can be continuous or intermittent as desired. Or-

dinarily, the motors 32 and 31 are provided with push-button controls so that the operator handling the apparatuscan control the pack-anneal ing operation as desired dependent, of course,

36. The cams stay in this position until a bar B is moved laterally off the hot run-out table by the pushers 28 with the bar sliding down inclined skids 23 and into the cam recess 38. At this time the operator starts motor 31 to transfer the bar to the pack-annealing bed.

After the pack has built up to cover the entire annealing bed and as each hot bar is added to the lower end of the annealing pack, an annealed bar is pushed oh the sloping end 60 of the annealing bed I2 onto the cooling bed I4 where it is received in flat position. The cooling bed I4 is of any suitable construction but preferably comprises a shuflie-bar type of cooling bed having a base 5| supporting aplurality of bars 62 connected by integral spacers 63. The bars 52 of the cooling bed, as shown in Fig. 1, extend in between the ends of the bars 50 of the pack-annealing bed I 2 so that full support for the merchant bar B carried over the beds is afforded. The cooling beds it are provided with shuflle bars 65 slidably carried on rollers 66 riding upon tracks 61 mounted upon the base 6| of the cooling bed I0. Each shufiie bar 65 is provided with ducking dogs 70 at spaced points which are pivctally secured, as at II, to the bars 65 and which have heavy back portions l2 normally holding the dogs 10 with a perpendicular face extending above the surface of the bars 62, as best seen in Fig. 3.

The shuiiie bars 65 are adapted to be reciprocated forward and back upon the tracks 57 and in the embodiment of the invention illustrated this is accomplished by the provision of a rocking shaft 15 carrying cranks l0 and adjustable length connecting rods T! which are pivotally secured to the shufiie'bars 65. In the backward movement of the shuffle bar the dogs 10 duck or tip to pass underneath the merchant bar B lying on the cooling bed. However, in the forward movement of the shufiie bar, the heavier portions I2 of Lhe dogs bring the dogs back to vertical position, and because the dogs only tilt in one direction they engage behind the merchant bar B and move the bars forward a feeding step. Thus, each oscillation of the rock shaft 15 feeds the merchant harsh on the cooling bed It forward one step.

Positioned at the end of the cooling bed I4 is the cold run-out table I6 and this may comprise a base having a plurality of rollers 82 jo'urnaled thereon and driven by any suitable means as, for example, a shaft 83 connected to a motor 80. Since the shufiie bar mechanism of the cold run-out table If ordinarily is not designed to feed the merchant bar 13 completely onto the cold runout table I6, additional means are provided for achieving this result. These means, in the form of the invention illustrated, are duplicated at spaced areas and each includes a ducking dog 86 pivotally carried in a bracket 81 secured to a rod 88 extending transversely of the cold run-out table I6 and into the end of the cooling bed I 4.

The rod 88 is secured to a bracket 89 fixed on a rack 90 with a pinion 9|, driven by a shaft 92 connected to a motor 93, serving to control the position of the rack. Thus, operation of the motor 93 moves the ducking dogs 86 toward the cold run-out table IE to move the merchant bar B from the cooling bed I4 completely onto the rollers 82 of the cold run-out table l6.

A novelfeature of the invention is that the apparatus can be readily adapted to handle metal bar without subjecting it to pack annealing. For example, a controlled cooling operation can be performed without stacking the bars in flat-side by flat-side relation. This is readily accomplished,

as illustrated in Fig. 4, by tilting the pack-annealing bed I2 to horizontal position by operation of the shaft 59 which controls the angular position of the annealing bed. When the bed is horizontal it aligns itself substantially flush with the surface of the usual cooling bed, and, by moving the cams 35 through a small arc to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4, merchant bar sliding down the inclined skids 23 moves directly onto the top of the pack-annealing bed I2. The merchant bar is shown round in section in this embodiment of the invention. By then slightly increasing the stroke or the initial position of the shuflie bars 65 of the cooling bed I4, the bars received on the pack-annealing bed I2 are carried across the pack-annealing bed and the cooling bed in a step-feeding operation with the pack-annealing bed operating substantially as a continuation or extension of the usual cooling bed. The transfer mechanism, including the dotted-position in Fig. 4 so that the shoulders 42 operate as positive stops to straighten the bar as heretofore described. After each bar stopping and straightening operation the cams are rotated through approximately to allow the straightened bar to roll onto the cooling bed and to bring the next cam shoulder 42 into position toreceive the next bar.

In the ordinary operation of the apparatus for pack annealing merchant bar it will be evident that there is a sliding movement of the cams 35 over the end bar of the annealing pack which not only serves to hold the bars from falling over on the annealing bed but which likewise moves the complete pack upwardly on the inclined annealing bed in order to make room for the next bar to be fed to the pack. This sliding movement of the camsover the end bar is ordinarily not attended with undesirable marring of the bar but in certain instances, where high-surface finish on the bars is requisite, it may slightly disfigure the surface, particularly where heavy bar is handled with a pack of considerable thickness beingbuilt'" any surface scratching from the movement of the cam surfaces over the end bar of the annealing pack, mechanism is provided for pushing the pack upwardly on the annealing bed with a. direct thrust, with the cam means operating solely to transfer the new bars to the pack.

Thus, in Fig. 5 is illustrated suitable mecha nism for moving the pack by direct thrust. This mechanism includes cams I00 mounted upon the same shaft 36 as carries the cams 35 but to one side thereof. The cams I00 have high portions substantially at right angles to the recesses 30 of the cams 35. Surrounding each cam I00 is a yoke I0! carrying a roller I02 which engages with the cam I00. The yoke IN is formed with a stud extension I03 slidably carried in cylinder I M-fixed to the base 20, with tension spring means I05 positioned in the cylinder and serving to resiliently pull the stud I03 of the yoke IOI into the cylinder I04 and thus cause the roller I02 on the yoke to follow the cam I00.

The yoke IOI is also provided with an integral pusher I01 which is adapted to engage with the last bar of the pack on the annealing bed as the roller I02 rides over the high portion of the cam I00 to thereby move the pack upwardly on the annealing bed by direct positive thrust. However, when the roller I02 of the yoke rides on the low portion of cam ID!) the tension spring I05 pulls the yoke back so that'the portion Hi1 of the yoke lies radially wthin the recess 38 formed on the cams 35.

Thus in the operation of the mechanism just described, with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 5, the pack has just been pushed up on the annealing bed by cam I00 with the yoke IBI then being rapidly retarded and with the cams 35 functioning to merely prevent the bars from falling over on the table. The continued rotation of the transfer cams 35 brings the next bar down into position against the end of the pack and, during this placing of the bar on the pack, the yoke remains in the retarded position. Continued rotation of the shaft 36 causes the outward movement of the yoke to again push the pack up on the annealing bed so that another bar can be added to the lower end of the pack as just described.

In the particular form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 a somewhat different type of pack-annealing bed is illustrated as including platforms pivotally mounted on'a shaft H0 fixed in a base H l The inclined position of the annealing bed is controlled by a shaft I I2 carrying an eccentric I I3 surrounded by a bearing I M carried by a connecting lever H5.

Of course, the invention contemplates employing the direct-thrust pack-moving mechanism shown in Fig. 5 directly with the transfer mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and with either type of pack-annealing bed disclosed.

It is believed that the operation of the apparatus will be completely understood from the foregoing description. However, briefly, the operation consists in moving in hot metal bar B one at a time on the hot run-out table It] with the bars being laterally discharged from the table H) by the pusher bars 28. The inclined skids 23 receive the bars from the hot run-out table, and the bars move by gravity into the recesses 38 formed in the cams 35 of the transfer mechanism shown generally at l8. The transfer cams 35 carry the bars B in turn to the pack-annealing bed where the bars are deposited on edge in flat-side by fiat-side relation. As each bar is added to the bottom or lower end of the annealing pack one is pushed olT the upper end of the pack and slides down in flat position upon the cooling bed lb. The shuiiie bars65 carrying the ducking dogs I0 on the cooling bed move the bars in step-by-step relation along the cooling bed as the shuffie bars are reciprocated. As the bars B near the end of the cooling bed l4 they are moved onto the cold run-out .table shown generally at [6 by the ducking dog '86 operated by the rod 88, rack and pinion 9|.

If it is desired to employ the apparatus solely for handling of hot metal bars, and more particularly for the cooling of the bars, the position'of the pack-annealing bed can be rapidly changed'to adapt the mechanism to pass the bars in spaced step-by-step relation across a continuous cooling bed. Likewise, the apparatus can be constructed to handle the pack annealing of merchant bar without surface scratching of the bar.

The stated objects oi the invention are achieved by the apparatus just described in that the annealing and handling mechanism in quite simple,

rugged and inexpensive in initial and maintenance cost as compared with the complicated pack-annealing mechanisms known heretofore. Mnreover, my apparatus is designed to handle merchant bar of substantially any size and shape without modification of the apparatus, and the handling and transferring of'the bars, as well as the piling for pack annealing, is more rapid and positive than obtained with prior apparatus. 1 The pa k-annealing operation, as well as the cooling operation, can be substantially continuous and can be controlled by a minimum number of operators who require no special training.

While, in accordance with the patent statues,

several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto ,or thereby but is defined in the appended claims. a

I claim:

1. Apparatus for handling merchant bar comprising a hot run-out table, a pack-annealing bed, a cooling bed, a cold run-out table, and means positioned between the hot run-out table and the pack-annealing bed for transferring the bars in turn from the hot run-out table and stacking them on the annealing bed, said means including a plurality of rotating cams having notches for receiving the bars in turn and carrying them to the annealing bed, said cams operating with a wiping cam action to push the end bar of the stack off the annealing bed onto the cooling bed as each hot bar is added to the stack from the hot run-out table.

2. Apparatus for handling merchant bar comprising a hot run-out table, an inclined pack-annealing bed, and means positioned between the hot run-out table and the pack-annealing bed for transferring the bars in turn from the table and stacking them on the bed, said means including a plurality of rotating cams having recesses for receiving the bars in turn and carrying them to the lower end of the annealing bed, said cams holding the stacked bars against sliding down on' the annealing bed and likewise operating to push the end bar of the stack off the upper end of the annealing bed as each hot bar is added to the stack from the run-out table.

3. Apparatus for handling merchant bar comprising a hot run-out table, a pack-annealing bed, means positioned between the hot run-out table and the pack-annealing bed for transferring the bars in turn from the table and stacking them on the bed, said means including a plurality of rotating cams having recesses forreceiving the bars in turn and carrying them to the annealing bed; said cams holding the stacked bars from falling over on the annealing bed and mechanism for moving the stack of bars over the annealing bed to discharge the end bar from the stack opposite the transfer means.

4. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein further the mechanism provided for moving the stack of bars over the annealing bed includes a driven shaft, a. plurality of cams mounted on the shaft, and yokes surrounding the shaft and engaging with the cams, said yokes contacting with the stack to move it when the high portions of the cams engage with the yokes. v

5. In combination, an inclined conveyor for moving merchant bar laterally, an oppositely inclined annealing bed for laterally receiving the bar, a rotatable cam having a recess formed on its surface for receiving the bars in turn and for carrying them to and depositing them on edge on the annealing bed, the upper surface of the inclined conveyor being substantially tangent to the recess on the cam, the oppositely inclined annealing bed surface extending substantially rafor carrying them to and depositing them on the annealing bed, the upper surface of the inclined conveyor being substantially tangent to the recess on the cam, the oppositely inclined annealing bed surface extending substantially radially of the cam and having portions extending radially inwardly of the cam surface, and the lower "end of the surface of the inclined annealing bed being lower than the inclined conveyor.

7. In combination, an inclined conveyor for moving merchant bar laterally, an oppositely inclined annealing bed for laterally receiving the clined annealing bed for laterally receiving the bar, and a rotatable cam having a recess formed on its surface functioning as a bar straightening stop and for receiving the bars in turn and-for carrying them to and depositing them on the annealing bed, the upper=surface of the inclined conveyor beingsubstantially tangent to the recess on the cam, and the oppositely inclined annealing bed surface extending substantially radially of the cam.

8. In combination, an inclined conveyor for moving merchant bar laterally, an oppositely inclined annealing bed for laterally receiving the bar, and a rotatable cam having a recess formed on its surface for receiving the bars in turn and for carrying them to and depositing them on the annealing bed to form a pack;

9. In combination, an inclined conveyor for moving merchant bar laterally, an oppositely inbar, and a rotatable cam turning in one direction and having a plurality of recesses formed on its surface for receiving the bars in turn and for carrying them to the annealing bed.

10. In combination, an inclined conveyor formoving merchant bar laterally, an oppositely inclined annealing bed for. laterally receiving the bar, a rotatable cam positioned in the valley formed between the conveyor and bed, said cam having a recess formed on its surface for receiving the bars in turn and for carrying them to anddepositing them on edge on the annealing bed, and means for changing the inclination of the annealing bed to bring it into position for receiving the bar directly and in flat cooling position from the inclined conveyor without the use of the rotatable cam.

11. Apparatus for pack annealing merchant bar comprising a plurality of cams mounted in axially spaced positions on a rotatable shaft, each cam being formed with a gradually built-up portion extending over a considerable arc and ending in a radial shoulder forming a recess below the surface of the cam for receiving a bar with the cam then being built up again to a shoulder and recess, said shoulders being aligned on the axially spaced cams, means for tangentially moving a bar into thelaligned recesses when they are substantially at the most upward position in the rotation of the cam, and means for removing the bar on edge from the cams after the rotation thereof of approximately ninety degrees, said cams engaging the bar after it is on the removingmeans and holding it against falling over, with the built-up portions of the'cams moving the bar along the'removing means so that another bar can be removed by the removing means.

12. Apparatus for pack annealing merchant bar comprising a plurality of cams mounted in axially spaced positions on a rotatable shaft, each cam being formed with a gradually built-up portion extending over an arc of at least ninety degrees and ending in a radial shoulder forming arecess for receiving a bar with the cam then being built up again to a shoulder, said shoulders being aligned on the axially spaced cams, means for moving the merchant bar along its longitudinalaxes to a point adjacent the transfer cams, means for laterally moving a bar into the aligned recesses, and means for removing the bar on edge from the cams, said cams engaging the bar after it is on the removing means and holding it against falling over, with the built-up portions of the cams moving the bar along the removing means so that another bar can be removed by the removing means.

13. Apparatus for pack annealing merchant bar comprising a plurality of cams mounted in axially spaced positions on a rotatable shaft, each cam being formed with a gradually built-up portion ending in a radial shoulder forming a recess for receiving a bar with the cam then being built up again to a shoulder, said shoulders being aligned on the axially spaced cams, means for tangentially moving a bar into the aligned recesses when they are substantially at the most upward position in the rotation of the cam, means for removing the bar on edge from the cams after the rotation thereof of approximately ninety degrees, said cams engaging the bar after it is on the removing means and holding it against ialling over, and mechanism other than the cams for moving the bar along the removing means so that another bar can be removed by the removing means.

14. In combination, a hot run-out table, an inclined slide positioned at the side of the table, a pack-annealing bed adjacent the slide, means for moving merchant bars in turn laterally off the hot run-out table onto the slide, rotary cam means for transferring the bars in turn from the slide onto the annealing bed and serving to hold the bars on the bed and likewise to move the bars along the bed, a shufiie dog cooling bed for receiving the bars from the annealing bed, a cold runout table for conveying the bars from the cooling bed, means for changing the position of the annealing bed to cause it to receive the bars in fiat position directly from the slide, and means for reciprocating the shuiile dogs of the cooling bed whereby the bars will be moved in spaced relation over the annealing and cooling beds to the cold run-out table.

15; In combination, a hot run-out table, an inclined slide positioned at the side of the table, a pack-annealing bed adjacent the lower end of the slide, means for moving bar laterally ofi the hot run-out table onto the slide, means for transferring the bar from the slide onto the annealing bed and serving to move the bar along the bed and continuously support the bars thereon even during the movement of another bar from the slide to the annealing bed, a shuifle bar cooling bed for receiving the bar from the annealing bed, and a cold run-out table for conveying the bar from the cooling bed.

16. Mechanism for pack annealing merchant bar-including an inclined annealing bed, means for conveying bars in turn to a point adjacent the bed, and transfer means including arotatable cam for moving the bars in turn from the conveying means to the annealing bed and stacking the bars on edge on the bed to form a pack, the cam constantly engaging with the last baradded to the pack and operating to hold the pack up and to move the pack along on the bed so that as each bar is added at one end of the pack one is moved off the bed at the other.

17. Mechanism for pack annealing merchant bar including an annealing bed, means for conveying bars in turn to a point adjacent the bed, and transfer means for moving the bars in turn from the conveying means to the annealing bed and stacking the bars on edge on the bed to form a pack, said last-named means continuously functioning as a stop at one end of the pack throughout the entire operation of'the mechanism.

18. Apparatus for handling and annealing merchant bar comprising an annealing bed adapted to support a pack of bars formed by placing them on edge and fiat side to fiat side, a cam adjacent one end of the bed and adapted to engage with the last bar of the pack, said cam gradually building up circumferentially to a recess adapted to receivea bar, means for turning the cam in one direction so that rotation of the cam moves the pack along the bed and moves the bar of thefar end of the pack off the bed while the recess carrying an additional bar deposits it on edge on the bed in the near end of the pack.

19. Apparatus for handling metal comprising a hot run-out table, an inclined annealing bed, a

horizontal cooling bed, a transfer mechanism for moving the metal from the table to the annealing bed, and means for turning the annealing bed into alignment with the cooling bed so that the metal moves directly to the combined cooling and annealing bed from the run-out table without handling by the transfer -mechanism.

20. The combination recited in claim 19 wherein-further the transfer mechanism can be adapted to function as a metal straighteningstop in either a cooling or a pack annealing operation when the 1 metal strikes it during the transfer operation.

21. In combination, a conveyor for moving merchant bar laterally, an inclined annealing bed for laterally receiving the bar, a rotatable cam positioned between the conveyor and bed, said cam having a recess formed on its surface for receiving the bars in turn and for carrying them v to and depositing them on edge on the annealing bed, and means for changing the inclination of the annealing bed to bring it into position for receiving the bar directly and in flat cooling bed for supporting the bars on edge thereon. and

means for periodically causing relative movement of the annealing bed and the bars on the annealing bed to force a bar off the end of the bed op- .posite the transfer means.

23. Apparatus for pack annealing merchant bar comprising a hot run-out table, inclined skids positioned laterally of the table, means for moving the bar from the table onto the skids, an annealing bed adjacent the lower ends of the skids, rotatable transfer means positioned between the skids and the bed for receiving the bar from the skids and depositing it on edge on the bed, the transfer means acting as a stop at the end of the annealing bed for supporting the bars on edge thereon and means for periodically causing relative movement of the annealing bed andthe bars on the annealing bed to force a bar off the end of the bed opposite the transfer means.

24. Apparatus for pack annealing merchant bar comprising a hot run-out table, an annealing bed adjacent the table, transfer means positioned between the table and the bed for receiving the bar from the table and depositing it on edge on the bed, the transfer means acting as a stop at the end of the annealing bed for supporting the bars thereon and means for periodically causing relative movement of the annealing bed and the bars on the annealing bed to force a bar ad the end of the bed opposite the transfer means.

JOHN T. FLAHERTY 

